


Chocolate and Marshmallow

by Morethancupcake



Series: Sugar and spice [22]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Chefs, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Bamf Cas (in a kitchen at least), Chef Balthazar, Chef Castiel, Chef Dean, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 17:09:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2858501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morethancupcake/pseuds/Morethancupcake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Chef Roche is weird. All his European bullshit wrapped up into is brutal honesty, and Dean is starting to really enjoy working with the guy. " </p>
<p>Dean is working in Chef Roche's restaurant, and he's pretty happy. And then there's Castiel. And then cakes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chocolate and Marshmallow

**Author's Note:**

> day 22 : making s'mores
> 
> (sorry but I had this Chef AU in my head for like, days, and FINALLY I can write about it so. Yeah. Indulge with me here.)

Damn those European assholes.

Dean loves cooking. It's something he started to do when he was a kid, and Sammy would just frown at the boxes of mac and cheese and the cans of soup. He had started small, and got addicted to the praises and happy smiles. From there, it had been easy. Going to the Roadhouse kitchen, and learn all Ellen could teach him. People might not line up in front of his restaurant yet, but he knows his food make people happy, and that's what it should be about.

Benny had insisted they needed the course, they needed to learn, and get something else. He had dragged Dean here, to a room full of pretentious dicks, who had all smiled at Dean's lack of diplomas, but had start to sober up when the chef had praised him from day one.

Chef Roche is weird. All his European bullshit wrapped up into is brutal honesty, and Dean is starting to really enjoy working with the guy. In the end, he had been kind of avoiding the classes, and working with him late at night, tasting the amazing wine the guy was offering, and learning more about cooking and food than he had his whole life. Dean is almost happy, here. Three of his creations had made it to the menu so far, and Balthazar had put his name under them. Sam had called in a fit of hysterics, because apparently some websites had been praising his name, (true, the salmon with lavender honey tapas had been a good idea), and now he had been offered a permanent place to stay. And cook.

He doesn't know what he should think about it. Because yeah, it's nice to know he makes enough money not to care about it as much. It's nice to finally live in his own house, and not in a room next to Bobby's. It's nice to see the smiles when his plates are leaving the kitchen, and he remembers the time a tiny little girl had asked to "kiss the cook" because her birthday cake tasted like candy.

And of course, there's Castiel.

Castiel, Balthazar's brother. Castiel, who is looking like a God among mere mortals when he visits the kitchen. Who never smiles unless they're in private, and he's crashing their nights in the kitchen with Balthazar. Who's intense and focused, and couldn't care less about the fame and the restaurant.  
Castiel who's even better than his brother. Dean had tasted his food, the day Balthazar had burned his fingers so badly on the rôtisserie he had to go to the ER, two hours before they were supposed to start for the night. Castiel had taken over, suddenly dark and terrifying, and all his creations were simple but perfect. Dean remembers the feeling of utter despair, because he was training, and working, and researching, and yet Castiel's recipe were perfection.

Damn the European God.

So tonight was supposed to be Christmas, and Dean is still going back to the kitchen. Balthazar had offered to let him go back to Kansas for the Holidays, but Dean doesn't really feel it, this year. Sam was spending Christmas with his new girlfriend, Bobby, Ellen and Jo visiting Garth, and Dean didn't really felt at home over there anymore. Home had been the place he had shared with Benny, over the summer, and now it's the little house not too far, close to the restaurant. Home is this kitchen.

Balthazar had left him a bottle, and Dean wonders what he could possibly do to give it justice, when he hears movement close. If it's not Balthazar, then... Yes. Castiel is standing there, looking critically in front of him. His station is clean, a few ingredients still laying around, as if he isn't sure if they're needed or not. Five little plates are staring back at him, and Dean is chuckling before he can't stop himself.

"Dean !" Castiel seems surprised, but not unhappy. He drinks from a glass Dean just notices, and his smile is warm. "I thought you were back in Kansas for the holidays."

"Nah. Felt right to stay here." He gets himself a glass, and search for the bottle Castiel has set his mind on. Puligny Montrachet it is. Snobbish little boy. "What about you ? No parties ? Not with your brother ?" Castiel laughs at that.

"Balthazar is currently in Paris, I believe, because he couldn't spend Christmas without warm flan from Poilane, I believe. I can make flan right here, and I wouldn't fly a day before Christmas, not even for Paris." Dean is smiling fondly at the man, because God, he is smitten. He can't even find in himself to find them arrogant. Castiel is arrogant, yes, but he's wonderful, and kind, and Dean Winchester is maybe a tiny bit in love with the guy.

"And so you decided to bake, I see." Dean is studying the cakes in front of them, and while some are quite easy to recognize, he's at loss at why there's so many of them. "Why the occasion ?"

"I felt inspiration, I suppose." Castiel is frowning. "But I'm not sure they turned out so great. They're merely variations, and unfortunately I never tasted the original, so..." Dean stops and that and stares at him.

"You ? You, Castiel Novak, brother of the great and mighty Chef Roche, there's something on this earth you've never tasted ? And what is it exactly ? Ambrosia ?" Castiel's ears are a little red, and he's frowning even harder now. Dean finds him adorable. "So why making them in the first place ? You're not even sure you'll like them, do you ?"

"I'm pretty sure I won't, actually." Castiel is muttering, now and is emptying his glass before answering. "I made them for you in fact. More exactly, I wanted to make you something for your birthday, and since everyone was set on the pie, I decided to go somewhere else." Dean is too flabbergasted to think about how stupid he must look right now, mouth open and glass tagling dangerously from his fingers. Castiel looks almost pissed. "You said you used to eat s'mores with your brother, for your birthday, when you were on the road, so I tried to work around that." He's back to the bottle, and all Dean can do is drink his wine in one go and handing him his glass, too.

"You baked them. For me." He needs to be sure.

"Well, technically, these are samples, for me." Dean is smiling now, because Castiel isn't pissed, Castiel is embarassed. And he's so fucking cute.

"You tried to make s'mores, even if you had no idea what it could taste like."

"I had a fair idea, but I'm pretty sure there's things I can't replicate. Like the firewood taste. What ?" Dean's eyes are glossy, he can feel it, but he can't stop smiling. 

"I'll taste them for you." He grabs a fork for himself, and one for Cas, and brings the first plate in front of them. "You need an expert's opinion ?" A tiny nod. "Then let's go."

Truth is, it's not perfect. Far from it. It's still the best cake Dean have had in a while, and he would beg to serve this in his restaurant. The macaron, the chiboust, the sabayon... everything is amazing. But he can taste something odd to it. Castiel didn't use their expensive chocolate, and he certainly didn't make the guimauve himself. No, he used the actual ingredients, from Dean's childhood. It's the same kind of industrial chocolate John would buy in bulk for them during sales. It was the regular marshmallow he would throw at Sam on the other side of the car. Castiel had tried his best to make this about Dean, not about himself.

Balthazar had said so to Dean, one night after too much wine. Castiel was the best because he had no agenda. His food was from the heart, he didn't care about the public, and the clients. He had no limits, no goals, no money in mind when he cooked or baked. It was pure love.

"I think I'm in love with you, man." Dean can feel a single tear on his face, and isn't even ashamed of what he just said. He is completely in love with the genius standing next to him, who's munching without conviction and chuckling, not getting the fact Dean is having a moment, here.

"It's not even that great, Dean, shut up." Dean silences him the best way he knows.

In the morning, wrapped into Dean's arms, Castiel chuckles and wrinkle his nose at how poorly chocolate and marshmallow went with the Puligny. Dean thinks he'll probably marry the fuck out of him for this.

Damn those European assholes.

**Author's Note:**

> and there it is !
> 
> For those who are interested, Poilane is a famous bakery here is Paris, and people line up during the day to get their flan just warm from the oven. I had the chance to get there at the right time once, and it is heavenly !
> 
> Here's some links if you're curious about the chiboust   
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiboust_cream
> 
> and sabayon is the french for zabaione  
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabaione
> 
> Rôtisserie is the place in a kitchen where they roast all the meat, I believe.
> 
> I think I covered everything, but if you think I should explain something else, don't hesitate to tell me !


End file.
